Le Haillan’s Infini’tif cruised to victory, and so that is where I headed, packaging myself as the prize in my own competition. Things couldn’t have worked out more sweetly: Infini’tif offers a particularly warm welcome in a pleasant setting (including massage chairs), and the team are clearly highly-skilled craftspeople. Before my hair wax had even begun to set, I took some time out with the salon’s director, the most excellent Jérôme, and put a few questions to him.

Can you tell me a little about yourself and the salon?

I started out in hairdressing when I was sixteen and my objective was always to have my own business and to work with highly-competent people. I’ve run my own business for twenty years now. Initially I trained as a gentlemen’s hairdresser before branching out into ladies’ hairdressing too. I’ve come full circle though and now cut men’s hair again, and work with versatile hairdressers who have fun putting all sorts of techniques into practice. I took over this business from the person who was my tutor; he was unwell and offered me the opportunity to become his successor. I found these premises five years ago and built the salon I’d always wanted with the people I wanted!

Check out footage of my visit to Infini'tif and the video version of this interview with Jérôme!

It wasn’t easy finding a name but that one eventually came to me. I realise there areother salons with the same name but I did think it was unusual and kept it!

You’re particularly active on social networks. What’s the thinking there?

I do think social networks are important. Everything seems to go so quickly these days so you have to be present, be efficient and quick off the mark, get information out there and let people know about original things… just like you do on Invisible Bordeaux! It’s all about keeping things live and out there in real time, that’s what’s so good.

I’ve also spotted that you often deal with footballers from local team Girondins de Bordeaux. As a season-ticket holder I’d love to know a little more!

Jérôme with Girondins star Adam Ounas.

I love football and played for many years, although I’ve finished up in hairdressing rather than on the pitch! Ours is the nearest salon to the Girondins training grounds so, yes, we do indeed often have footballers coming in. Two of my hairdressers, Pauline and Adeline, are especially good at footballers’ haircuts, and we’ll try one out on you next time! We have quite a few players from the youth team – future stars – who come here, and some from the senior team too… they also feed social networks and give the salon a helping hand. Anyway, I’m mad about football, I support and follow les Girondins, it’s a club I love and which is close to my heart. Allez Bordeaux!

You contributed to the 2015 Miss Aquitaine beauty contest. How did that come about?

We were contacted through hairdresser Pauline, who has taken part in contests in the past, to find out whether we’d be interested in working on the 2015 Miss Aquitaine ceremony. Part of the team took part and it went very well. It was an interesting experience and it’s important to be involved in things like that which make a change from our everyday routines.

Finally, you won the Invisible Bordeaux competition which sought to celebrate the names of independent hairdressing salons. Do you feel, as I do, that salons are becoming increasingly uniform and that we’ll soon be left with nothing but a handful of franchises?

That trend is coming at us like a steamroller but for now I’m happy about being independent and my objective is to remain that way. I don’t hold anything against franchises but once you sign up you become accountable and have to hand over huge sums of money. They’re massive structures which heavily penalize small companies with all the criteria that fall into the framework of franchises. But we’re hanging in there and won’t give in!

Keep up the great work Jérôme, big thanks to you and the Infini’tif team!